Convince me I need one....

[RiverOtter]

Chickenzoo, I don't mean to offend.
Everyone who has good Pyrs put LOTS of training time and have good fencing and they all have an "except for this one time" (or two, or three) story.
I'm sure you would be heartbroken if yours got loose. But we have lost (on separate occasions, to different Pyrs, different states even so different bloodlines) 3 cats(within 20 yards of our house or less), lots of chickens and had our dog attacked in his own yard by Pyrs.
Pagan snuggled me every time I was sick for 9 years. Tiger was given to me by a 14yo boy because his mother's chemo wouldn't let him keep a cat. He said he knew I'd take good care of him. Tiger didn't die right away, we (and the vet) held out hope for 3 days it was mostly nerve damage and the internal injuries weren't that bad. Taj woke me every morning from kittenhood on, for 3 years, by shoving her head under my chin and purring madly. Lacey Chicken followed my DD around like a dog and the Little Red Hen would sneak in through any crack in the house to lay her brown speckled egg in my laundry hamper.
We were pretty heartbroken.
And when people bring them to the pound to turn them in, it is always because they can't get them to stop killing things.

I'm not mean to them. They are very sweet with people. I pet them when I meet them and I've had them in for grooming. But when someone is under the assumption that Pyrs are a "natural guardian" that will not kill any domestic animal and are happy to stay in a fenced yard and defend from all predators (but not jump a 3 foot fence to murder the neighbor's housedog in their own yard) by Almighty Instinct alone - as opposed to the massive amount of training and very sturdy fence it really takes - I feel the need to let them know it doesn't work that way.

They are really not an easy solution but are being presented that way to people who then find themselves with a 150lb problem
And if you screw up, say, a Golden Retriever, you have a big obnoxious dog. If you screw up a Pyr, you have a HUGE dog who's instinct tells it to cover ground and kill things.

 

[emjay]

Quote:
LOVE THE DOGS BUT, REALLY LOVE THAT MINI ZEBU ??? OR WHAT BREED OF MINI IS THAT. IT'S ADORABLE !!! a mini brahma ??
I love miniature cattle, not too many in my part of the world. would love a mini herd, too cute.

 

[bagendhens]

mabe insead of a normal lgd (who might also bother neighbors as they tend to bark through the night as a deterant...) mabe look into taking on an all around farm dog...one who would be a family dog when your home, but when your out or overnight hes out there with them.
GSD's were origionally bred as farm dogs and i know many people who have them that are great with chickens and other animals they consider "theirs"
scotch collies (lassie dogs) arnt as intense as borders, typically good with birds if trained to be, and not too big...
old english sheep dog might also work.

LGDs are amazing but i think for small acerage an "all around" kind of farm dog might be a better choice. youll need a fence aorund your entire property with any breed of dog...its just good dog ownership and manners...but whereas 2 acres for a breed like a pry is tiny...for a GSD 2 acres is alot of land and perfect for patroling.

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

i think all LGDs are like that not just pyrs alot of good LGDs have made mistakes i think if your gonna fence the dog in with the birds it can be almost any breed aslong asit doesnt kill birds
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[chickenzoo]

Yes, any well trained dog can be a good one..... it just depends on temperament, training and drive. Make no mistake, if another dog threatened my animals it would be run off or worse, but I would only harm it if it proved to be actually trying to harm something. Azland, our biggest and most fierce protector in the yard got out once, when someone left the gate chain too loose. I found him in a corner of my neighbors bushes sitting with their cat, LOL. He was scared and didn't know where he was so he found a buddy to sit with. I found out later they he was also at another neighbors laying under their rabbit pens. I know this is mostly an exception, not the rule, and I don't know the lineage of most of mine, but I would hope someone would watch for a second to see if he was trying to hurt something or just lost and looking for something familiar before they shot him.

It takes great training and patience with any dog, if you don't have the time then I would pay the extra money to get one that is older and already well trained. That way you could judge it's temperament around your animals. With GP's a good good fence is a must, like I mentioned earlier they are known to wander. Patience is also needed as they are heard headed and think for themselves. Get use to holes, they dig them. And they do bark at night..... often..... as they sleep most of the day.
Perhaps find someone who has them and spend some part of the day with their dogs and see if they are for you.